For 14 February, Krakow offers bird feeders from recycled furniture

The city collects bulky refuse to breathe new life into it

This 14 February, Krakow will show a special display of love for its citizens and the living creatures on its territory. With the help of a local association, the Polish city will distribute 1000 bird booths and feeders for free. The action is part of the city’s ambitions for circularity. More specifically, it is about creating a closed cycle of waste management, where large unused items like furniture contribute to the city’s biodiversity, instead of becoming trash.

Collaboration with multiple benefits

Krakow City through its waste-management company MPO Krakow has once again teamed up with a non-profit called Association of Promoters of the Joyful Bird. The aim is to promote circular economy - the maximum reuse of waste and raw materials derived from it, thereby limiting the generation of waste and making efficient use of the potential energy contained in waste.

Separate waste collection, naturally, is an essential part of the process. Wood is one of the valuable raw materials that can be reused from the refuse of old furniture. And while the largest pieces of our old wardrobe, table or desk can be immediately turned into something else, smaller elements are much more difficult to repurpose.

So, these are being turned into nest boxes and feeders for birds, which are then delivered to citizens, as part of a years-old collaboration between MPO Krakow and the Association.

The organisation works to restore the number of urban birds, some species of which have almost completely disappeared from big cities. They do this by giving information on how one can create a bird booth by themselves and place it in a public space throughout the year. Their action of building and distributing nesting boxes started on 14 February 2013 and will reportedly last until the stated mission is completed.

Accordingly, this Monday, on 14 February at 1 pm, under the office of the Magistrate (All Saints Square) one can collect 1 of the 1000 birdhouses available and contribute to both circularity and biodiversity in the city of Krakow.